Letters

In John Hopkins’ tribute to Bev Agnew in Tuesday’s Los Alamos Monitor, he mentioned her contributions to the community during the time she and Harold made their home in Los Alamos.
There was one contribution, which for the past 44 years has made everyone’s life in Los Alamos better and happier.
In 1966, Fuller Lodge, which had been operated by the Atomic Energy Commission as an inn and restaurant, closed down and was replaced by the privately operated Los Alamos Inn across Trinity Drive.
A decision then had to be made regarding the future of Fuller Lodge, an elderly but historic building.

What could you do with $32.35? You and a friend could go out for a green-chile cheeseburger at the Blue Window, share a desert, and leave a really stingy tip.
You could get 10 gallons of regular gas (hurry, though, prices are set to go up again next week.)
How about 40 pounds of gourmet bird seed at Metzgers?
Here’s my favorite investment, $32.35 is almost enough — for two 25-pound bags of sweet potato/herring cat food at Pet Pangaea.
Or you and the whole community could build a leisure pool.
The leisure pool will be a permanent asset to our town, and it wouldn’t be just for me, or just for you, or just for your birds or cats.

After reading the column that states “Our View,” which I seriously doubt reflects everyone’s opinion at the Los Alamos Monitor, therefore it should be “My View,” I feel I must respond.
The idea that a leisure pool is going to keep our “young” people in town is ludicrous! I have lived here all my life and it’s not by choice. If, or when I can, a new Leisure Pool is certainly not going to keep me here.
This town is too expensive to live in and another proposal to make it even more expensive only drives me to strive harder to get out.

Los Alamos has been well served by the Aquatic Center. Now we have the opportunity to enhance the Aquatic Center and the quality of life for the community by voting yes in the special election for a leisure pool addition.
A dream of many “Blue Whale” supporters has been the addition of a leisure pool. For more than 20 years, contributions have been collected to support this effort.
The pool offers opportunities for swim lessons, warm water therapy, lap swimming, international high altitude team trainings and state swimming meets, all of which benefit our community. I have participated in many of these activities and seen the positive impact county wide.

What ever happened to “look both ways before crossing the street?” Is it no longer taught to our children or practiced by adults?
When are we, as a society, going to realize that most drivers are idiots? They drink, eat, put on makeup, talk on their cell phones, read, talk to their passengers (even to themselves), text — everything but drive. Right foot on the gas, left on the brake and head in the clouds. And yet we continue to step out in front of them. Whether it is walking in a parking lot, crossing at a crosswalk or anywhere else where vehicles drive, somehow we just don’t think about that idiot driver that has more important (in their mind) things to do than watch out for other human beings.

A number of years ago, we drove through Canada as we made our way from Los Alamos to Alaska. Almost every Canadian town had three things in common – very friendly people, a curling rink and a multi-use aquatics center.
Like these towns, Los Alamos already has friendly people and a wonderful aquatic center. While our aquatic center is as nice or nicer than many that we saw in Canada, it does not have the leisure pool that we saw in the Canadian centers.
Alongside the multi-use lap/diving pools, these centers had a warmer pool with slides for kids and rivers for walking in, appropriate for all ages. These pools were always well used. I envision such a complex as a worthy enhancement to the great quality of life that we already enjoy in Los Alamos.

I’ve watched with interest the debate about what, if anything, should be done with the N.M. 502/Trinity Drive Corridor project.
It appears that there’s money to be spent and we must find a way to spend it – to avoid losing it – regardless of the impact on quality-of-life for commuters and local residents.
After reading about the “near miss” incident on the main hill road, wherein a car was demolished by a falling boulder (not the first time this has happened), I’d like to suggest that if money MUST be spent on road improvements, we turn our attention away from the N.M. 502 project and think about stabilizing the mountainside that periodically rains life-threatening boulders onto vehicles in route to Los Alamos.

Sheesh. Two tractor trailers have lost it and crashed in two days on one of our most popular bike rides and recreational roads, N.M. 4, just above the Back Gate.
From those pictures in the Los Alamos Monitor, it sure is lucky no one on a bike or motor vehicle was in the way.
It’s also apparently a good idea for a bicyclist to know how to descend that road really fast. Faster than an out-of-control 18-wheeler, at least.
I better stop trying to lose weight. Gravity loves a big guy. Is it my imagination, or have there not always been a few big rigs driving that route?
Is it more than coincidence that both trucks were from the same company (according to the Los Alamos Monitor, BB Transport of Colorado) and both loaded with crushed cars?

When a train is heading into a known train wreck, but a switch will allow it to continue on a different tack and avoid the train wreck, should fear or courage allow us to dictate the course of that train?
I am a consumer of Medicare dollars, spending approximately $35,000 to $70,000 per year for my medical condition. Let’s look at the facts instead of the myths surrounding Medicare reform.
•Medicare in its current form, will be bankrupt before 2020. Every report confirms that Medicare spends more money than it takes in. The train wreck is coming. The checks will stop.

Yippee! Thank you!
I have been doing a jig since I read last night’s Monitor (and you know that’s a tall order for me).
It’s had to have been a grueling process for you, our council, as well as for the candidates, yet I feel your choice was the very best!
Thank you, each of you, for all the effort and care you put in to bringing such a talented person to Los Alamos. After meeting all the candidates and listening to each of them, Harry (Burgess)’ energy, openness and well thought out responses won me over.